I was going to title this "Socializing on a Detox plan" but my friend Elaine said that conjured up some images that are far off the mark of what we are doing. To re-iterate, we are not druggies trying to kick a habit - well at least not in the illegal sense. We are trying to eliminate the toxins in our bodies so we can give our liver a break. If the liver is happy, then the rest of our body should be too.
In a way, we could be considered junkies. We are not the typical family that eats junk food often, but we did have our addictions. For example, if I was feeling a little under the weather and did not want to cook, I would send Harry after a KFC Chicken Pot pie. I actually formed an addiction that when I don't feel good, that pot pie represents comfort food. Now I read where that the pot pie has 770 calories of which 350 are fat grams. Still, when I want comfort and I don't feel like cooking, a KFC pot pie will do in a pinch.
I read a column in Reader's Digest recently that talks about memories and how they actually trigger food addictions. Many fast foods have additives that not only taste good but cause hormonal changes that make the person feel good. Accompany that with good company and you have a powerful trigger for a food addiction.
Last summer, I was diagnosed with diverticulitis. I was warned to stay away from red meat especially, as well as nuts and seeds (which take me down a different path than where I want to go here). Anyway, Harry took me to a very special place for my birthday that we wanted to try. My daughter and family joined us and we all had a very enjoyable evening. The food was delicious. I had to taste the sauce on Harry's beef dish as it smelled incredible. It WAS amazing and I thought about that sauce for months afterward. Well after four months we all went back and I was very disappointed that they no longer had that dish on the menu. We all selected something else, but I did not get "my fix". I wanted that beef dish that I had associated with the memories of that night.
Memory association to food is a big deal. Usually a social event is tied to that memory. How often do we all over eat at Thanksgiving because we associate the holiday with a particular item or two on the menu? I always go over the top at Thanksgiving. I have to make what I associate with my childhood Thanksgiving dinner, Harry throws in his special requests, Chris remembers something that I had forgotten but it is important to her. Before I know it, I fixed the Turkey with two kinds of stuffing, two kinds of gravy, three versions of cranberry sauce, two kinds of potatos, three vegetable dishes, two or three salads, several appetizers, an olive and pickle tray, plus about 3 pies. Yet I could not think of leaving a single thing out!
Harry and I are on a program that is long enough to help us make new habits and short enough that we have no problem doing it. In fact, we will likely continue the program during the weeks ahead and allow ourselves some animal protein on the weekends. We have experimented with a lot of foods and thoroughly enjoy some of the things we came up with. Things we never had before will now be staples in my kitchen. Foods like Flax seed, Umeboshi plum, sprouts, Nama Shoyu, pink himalayan salt, myer lemons, almonds butter, the seed crisps I learned to make, as well as various grains have all made their way into my pantry and will continue to be part of our meals for a long time to come.
We have missed the socializing though. When our friends, Elaine and Julian, called to make a dinner date, they suggested a place they thought we could do while on our program. They were right. We enjoyed a vegetable platter at a little Mediterranean place, got totally satisfied and had a wonderful time. It really helps to know we do not have to remain in isolation while on this plan.
It explains why diets fail. The dieter is usually isolated from her family and friends by the diet chosen. Deprivation is a natural feeling when on the sidelines. Eventually the diet is fallen by a chocolate birthday cake or game night pizza. Add in the maddening refusal of the bathroom scale to move downward and a diet is destined to fail.
A diet requires a life style change that still allows the dieter to have fun. Replacing some bad foods with better choices has to be a better plan than any that starts with deprivation. When we first started our changes in January, we cut back a little here and there. Then we eliminated certain foods like sugar and white flour but quickly replaced them with stevia and grains. We ate tacos on a regular basis and don't miss that night at all because we replaced the meat with a mixture of bulgar wheat and mushrooms. We still have taco night, it just included a little change to make it more healthy. Harry's big weakness is crackers and chips. I learned to make a "cracker" out of flax seed, nuts and grains and they are crunchy and delicious. Harry actually prefers them to crackers now.
Bottom line, we certainly do not feel deprived. We also understand the need to continue making memories around our new foods and integrate them seamlessly into our new lifestyle.
Oh, and that diverticulitis? Not a problem anymore. An added bonus of our improving health. I calculated our fiber intake over the last few days and realized we are taking in about 40 grams of fiber a day. A lot of that comes from the seeds and nuts I was not supposed to eat. I am really happy about that.
Happy socializing!
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